For current iPhone 5/5S/5C owners, would you upgrade to a iPhone 6S or prefer iPhone SE

iPhone SE

iPhone 6S

I cant make up my mind. I waited for Apple to release a new flagship 4'inch but was not expecting for them to reuse the same body as the iPhone 5. Sure, it is a good price with good specs but I actually prefer the round body of the iPhone 6, it's more comfortable to hold in your hand if the phone was smaller.

I am hopeing to get some good insight from people who used both the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6S on which they prefer? Can you go back to a 4 inch phone? Is the 6S still uncomfortable, too big, 2 handed operation?

Would you pay $200 more now for the 6S with the SE at $400? Let me know your thoughts, it will be greatly appreciated it. I'm trying to make up my mind before pre-orders tonight.

I'm considering selling my 64gb 6S and buying a 64gb SE. I work in sales and I'm constantly juggling my phone one-handed running around therefore +1 for the SE size (that top-left corner is still a PITA for me, and Reachability hasn't been something I have been able to get accustomed to). The SE battery life is also superior:

That's another +1 for my usage. As far as drawbacks go, I'm just now getting used to 3D Touch and I really like it. I would lose that with the SE. And there is something to be said for a bit more real estate when reading news, browsing the web, etc.

I'm going to wait for some more hands-on reviews to roll in before making a decision.

It depends on what you want in a phone. I already have a 6S and I'm not going to buy the SE simply because I'll lose money by selling my 6S to go to a smaller phone. I had an iPhone 5 for 2 years before upgrading to the 6S and the 4" is the perfect size for one handed use. If I were still using the 5 now and was thinking about upgrading I would most likely buy the SE because. 1)I prefer the size of the 4" phone. 2)The SE is £180 cheaper than the 6S but has pretty much the same specs.

Just last night I nearly dropped my 6s while simply browsing the web and trying to close a tab. My hand/thumb has to do this ackward stretch just to reach the right corner of the screen so I can reach the tab button. 4-inch screen for me please!

The fact that it's the same specs, better looking, much better battery, and cheaper than the 6s just seals the deal for me. Couldn't care less about barometer, 3D Touch, dual pixels or whatever else I don't even use anyways...

Another 6S owner here debating going to an SE. Extra battery life is a bonus and the one-handed use is much better on the 5 series. I sort-of use 3D touch, but not enough at this point to where I'd miss it. The front facing camera isn't as good so thats a big con in a way, but not a deal breaker. The older touch-ID thing is kind of a wash, I do love how fast the 2nd generation is but also I don't think it's a deal breaker.

Touch choice for me. If I already had a 5S I'd probably go the SE route after having the larger size I'd say the 4" is still my favorite in the end.

I have switched between the 5s and 6 Plus since I got the plus in 2014. But I am committed to sticking with my 5s as my primary phone until September and see from there. I am not a huge fan of the screen on the 5s/SE. Not the size, but the resolution, viewing angles, and color. It's all very "meh" compared to the 6 and 6 Plus. Besides that I love the feeling of not needing a case with the 5s because it isn't so damn slippery.

$500 for a 64 gig 6s inside of a 5s body sounds really good. We will have to see what Apple does with the 7 but right now I like the idea of SE>6s.

Im having this same debate right now. Even the used 6s just doesn't seem to worth it cost wise against a brand new SE. Im tired of my 5 and want a bigger phone but the part of my that is financially sound thinks the SE is the better choice.

I cant make up my mind. I waited for Apple to release a new flagship 4'inch but was not expecting for them to reuse the same body as the iPhone 5. Sure, it is a good price with good specs but I actually prefer the round body of the iPhone 6, it's more comfortable to hold in your hand if the phone was smaller.

I am hopeing to get some good insight from people who used both the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6S on which they prefer? Can you go back to a 4 inch phone? Is the 6S still uncomfortable, too big, 2 handed operation?

Would you pay $200 more now for the 6S with the SE at $400? Let me know your thoughts, it will be greatly appreciated it. I'm trying to make up my mind before pre-orders tonight.

Thanks,

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You're right, they really devalued the 6S. Basically it's $200 more for a bigger screen with otherwise the same specs. Nothing is more "premium" about it.

Actually 649-399= 250 more for the 6s (16gb). So if ur lucky and u want a 6s I'd go for eBay or craigslist to get one cheaper than 649 (starting 16gb). Then u think is it worth paying for a used one vs a new one? Or 6s used vs se? Is the 250 price difference worth it for premium 3D Touch, shell, bigger screen, front facing cam, etc.

It sound like you prefer the 6S, you like the design and didn't say it you prefer 4" or 4.7".
I don't like the 6S design at all so it's a no brainer for me. Have you held the 6S it's so slippery you may need to put a case on it.

Staff Member

You're right, they really devalued the 6S. Basically it's $200 more for a bigger screen with otherwise the same specs. Nothing is more "premium" about it.

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There's definitely features in the 6s that the SE doesn't have, as noted by my above post.

I think Apple had to do a balancing job, making the SE attractive enough for those who want a 4" phone, but not so much that it impacts the sale of the 6s. I think they stuck a decent balance but I see your point. I was deciding between the two, and its hard to justify spending 700 dollars when you can spend 500.

There's definitely features in the 6s that the SE doesn't have, as noted by my above post.

I think Apple had to do a balancing job, making the SE attractive enough for those who want a 4" phone, but not so much that it impacts the sale of the 6s. I think they stuck a decent balance but I see your point. I was deciding between the two, and its hard to justify spending 700 dollars when you can spend 500.

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I'm willing to bet a LOT of people reach the same conclusion. Most diehards on here won't get the SE, but the average Joe who just wants a new iPhone because his iPhone 4s or 5 is on its last legs will likely go through the same logic. It's a great phone at a great price.

Just last night I nearly dropped my 6s while simply browsing the web and trying to close a tab. My hand/thumb has to do this ackward stretch just to reach the right corner of the screen so I can reach the tab button. 4-inch screen for me please!

The fact that it's the same specs, better looking, much better battery, and cheaper than the 6s just seals the deal for me. Couldn't care less about barometer, 3D Touch, dual pixels or whatever else I don't even use anyways...

Yeah, it will probably be a while before any cell carrier will be able to come even close to the speeds possible with LTE Advanced. It's like 5ghz ac wifi. I never get to actually benefit from the highest capability because my provider speed is the bottleneck. I only pay for 60mbps. I will say though, without 5ghz AC wifi, I didn't get the full 60mbps.

To me it comes down to basically feeling like I'd be giving up too much to go from my 6S with 3D Touch and 2nd Gen Touch ID to an SE without these. I think 3D Touch is already beginning to be used much more than last fall.

That said, I'm still pretty tempted by the form factor and design of the SE. Without doubt, my iPhone 5 was my favorite iPhone design. However, the practical side of my brain understands that the money wasted on trading for an SE would negate the cost of fixing my 6S, should it be dropped... Decisions decisions....

All things being equal, do you want the size of the SE (and design), or the size and features of the 6s.

Here's what the SE does not have.

TouchID 2 (Original TouchID).

No 5-megapixel FaceTime camera

No barometer

No 3D Touch display

No Dual-Domain pixels

No LTE Advanced

Can you live without those features?

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I think it would difficult for any "average consumer" to know what any of those features are, especially the barometer, Dual-Domain pixels, and LTE Advanced. I've seen it one too many times when the customer asks, "Does it have the button where I can scan my finger to unlock the phone? Does it have Facetime?" Not many are going to know the difference between TouchID 1 and 2 because TouchID 1 works great on the 5S/6 devices...maybe not as fast but I've honestly never had any problems with it. Now, Samsung's iteration of the fingerprint scanner in the Note 4 and Note 5 are DRASTICALLY differently and a huge improvement. As for 3D Touch, a lot of people don't find it useful with their 6S/Plus yet. Most don't even know its there. We will probably see it a lot more useful in the iPhone 7/Plus this Fall. I think Apple took away features that the average Joe that walks into a store won't even notice...only the hardcore Apple geeks on here. It will be hard for someone to justify the extra $200+ for a 6S.

sure the SE is lacking features; however, most of those features the every day person does not care about. It really boils down to size factor. What size is best for you. Also, the SE apparently has amazing battery life. If test are showing 3 hours more in web browsing....that probably means a lot more IRL.

The biggest real world different IMO is touch ID. I actually get annoyed with the speed of it on my iPad after using the 6S.

All things being equal, do you want the size of the SE (and design), or the size and features of the 6s.

Here's what the SE does not have.

TouchID 2 (Original TouchID).

No 5-megapixel FaceTime camera

No barometer

No 3D Touch display

No Dual-Domain pixels

No LTE Advanced

Can you live without those features?

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Didn't you also forget that the SE doesn't have an HD display that the 6s does have.

--- Post Merged, Mar 28, 2016 ---

I was really surprised at the weight difference between the 6 and the 6s and the SE. I know the SE is smaller so it will weight less but the difference between the 6 and the 6s is a lot. That is the one thing I noticed when I bought my 6s coming from my iPhone 5 was the 6s felt heavier. It must be the haptic bar they added that makes the 6s feel so heavy.

Didn't you also forget that the SE doesn't have an HD display that the 6s does have.

--- Post Merged, Mar 28, 2016 ---

I was really surprised at the weight difference between the 6 and the 6s and the SE. I know the SE is smaller so it will weight less but the difference between the 6 and the 6s is a lot. That is the one thing I noticed when I bought my 6s coming from my iPhone 5 was the 6s felt heavier. It must be the haptic bar they added that makes the 6s feel so heavy.

Weight
5 & 5s - 112 grams
SE - 113 grams
6 - 129 grams
6s - 143 grams

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I'd say that's more or less a given simply with the smaller size of the SE and thus its smaller screen.

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